Paint a rock – use it to cheer up Knysna

PAINT a rock. Post a photograph of it on Facebook. Then hide it and spread joy in the fire-ravaged town of Knysna.

The new social media craze – which has American and Australian families hunting for painted rocks – has arrived in South Africa.

Greta Barber‚ an expat living in Tasmania‚ Australia‚ started the Knysna Rocks Facebook group a week ago to spread joy in Knysna.

The idea is to paint rocks and leave them in a park for others to find.

Inspirational messages‚ cartoon characters or simple designs can be painted on them, but the Facebook group logo must be visible on the back of the stone so that the finder can reveal online that it has been found.

“I just think it’s such a nice way to give back to the community after such horror.

“The families can enjoy this activity together‚” Barber said. “Kids get so excited when they find these rocks.

“After all the stress and tragedy Knysna has [had], this is a really positive thing to do.”

More than 500 Facebook users have joined the group.

“To my knowledge no one has hidden a rock yet, but it only takes one or two to get interest [going].

“It might take a bit longer to get it off the ground, but once people understand it‚ it will grow in momentum‚” she said.

Barber started Tas Rocks for her own community in June when the craze hit Australia, and in two months her group has grown to 11 000 members.

“It got huge really quickly. What I loved about it is it gets kids off devices and outdoors having back to basic fun.

“It also involves parents and grandparents as well as older siblings‚ so we find the whole community gets involved.

“It is also free. In this day that is rare.” How it works: ý Paint a rock. Use unpolished clean, dry rocks. Acrylic paints and permanent markers work best.

Rocks must be sealed before being hidden, so they hold up to the elements.

Do not use googly eyes or plastic pieces or foam on your rocks‚ as eventually these will come off or break down and enter the environment.

ý Write KNYSNA ROCKS and the Facebook symbol on the back of the rock‚ so people know how to find the group and what to do with their discovery.

ý Rock drop – posting your rock drop to the group. Include a picture‚ the park name‚ suburb‚ location/map and a clue in your post.

ý Find a rock. You can search the group for your suburb name‚ or park name‚ to see if anything has been hidden there recently.

ý Found a rock – post a picture of the found rock. You can keep it or hide it.